Walloped by heatwave, Greenland sees massive ice melt
The heatwave that smashed high-temperature records in five European countries is now over Greenland, accelerating the melting of the island’s ice sheet and causing massive ice loss in the Arctic.

How investing in early warning systems proves beneficial
A team including Dr Bapon SHM Fakhruddin, Technical Director at Tonkin + Taylor International, found that for every (USD) $1.00 invested in EWS, there is a return of $6.00 in benefits.

Improving communication and integration of geospatial information
From the Ninth Session of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), SDSN TReNDS’ Maryam Rabiee reflects on how geospatial data and technologies can better support the Sustainable Development Goals.

WHO joins coalition for free digital access to research health
“By joining this coalition, we believe we can accelerate progress towards universal free access to health research”, says WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan.

Laos invests in disaster risk reduction to thwart future disasters
The Lao Government and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction jointly organised a national workshop that brought together development partners and government agencies to lay the foundation for the country’s first national disaster risk reduciton strategy.

NZ: The legal threat and big opportunity in Māori engagement on Climate Change response
As local councils respond to the effects of climate change, they’ll need to properly consider Māori interests, new research warns. Treaty breaches and litigation will follow if they don’t. 

UNEP: Rebuilding the future role of humanitarian aid in climate resilience
Social and economic factors dictate which countries and communities will be hardest hit and require the most humanitarian aid, says the UNEP.

Climate-driven extreme weather is threatening old bridges with collapse
Climate change has made intense rainfall more common, and, in doing so, resulted in the collapse of centuries-old bridges in England.

UN ESCAP: Asia-Pacific Disaster Report
The Asia-Pacific region faces a daunting spectrum of natural hazards. The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2019 shows how these disasters are closely linked to inequality and poverty, each feeding on the other and leading to a vicious downward cycle.

Companies and climate resilience: Mobilising the power of the private sector to address climate risks
The private sector is an essential partner in reducing the impacts of climate change and extreme-weather events on vulnerable people. This paper argues for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (“the Movement”) to reimagine its engagement with the private sector in addressing the humanitarian consequences of climate change.

Climate Change and Migration in Vulnerable Countries
This paper aims to inform policymakers of the complex dynamics of climate-induced migration in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. It provides an overview of the migration and climate change nexus in each group of countries and proposes ways forward to address it.

CDP: Major risk or rosy opportunity – Are companies ready for climate change?With 2017 and 2018 seeing significant losses from extreme weather incidents in parts of the world, financial regulators and investors are becoming increasingly focused on ensuring the private sector is ready for the risks and opportunities of climate change.

UN: Climate Action Summit 2019 – 23 September (UN HQ, New York)
The Secretary-General is calling on all leaders to come to New York in September with concrete, realistic plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by 2050.

CODATA 2019 Beijing – Towards next-generation data-driven science: policies, practices and platforms – 19-20 September
The conference provides a significant opportunity to survey and examine developments in research infrastructures to assist with data management, stewardship and analysis.

CODATA – Workshop: Implementing FAIR data for people and machines – 11 September (Washington, DC)
This collaboratively-organised workshop is for data and information professionals, information technologists, and for disciplinary scientists interested in effective data sharing. The one-day event focuses on the implementations, ultimate impacts, and implications, especially as data is made FAIR for people and machines.

International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD 2019) – 24-25 Sept – (New York)
Taking place at Columbia University, this year’s theme is “Good Practice: Models, Partnerships, and Capacity Building for the SDGs”. Registration closes 20 September.

Flood Expo 2019 – 11-12 September (Birmingham, England)
The Flood Expo is the world’s largest exhibition and conference designed to help the most progressive flood professionals and property owners discover the latest innovative products, services and strategies that transform the way flooding is predicted, prevented, and managed.